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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23624986">Once More Into the Spiderverse</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/chlodobird/pseuds/chlodobird'>chlodobird</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Dragon of Hell's Kitchen [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Daredevil (TV), Jessica Jones (TV), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Danny Rand, BAMF Elektra Natchios, BAMF Matt Murdock, Child Soldiers, Earth-65, Gen, Gwen's earth is fucked up, Matt Murdock Angst, Matt Murdock Needs a Hug, Post-Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Team Dynamics, because she's ALWAYS badass, murderdock, universe hopping</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:56:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,817</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23624986</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/chlodobird/pseuds/chlodobird</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A month after she met the folks from Earth-1066, Gwen decides she needs Matt's help with Murderdock (who's being suspiciously quiet). Meanwhile, Miles decides that even though Gwen has a shitty dimension, he can find some people there who aren't convinced she's a violent fugitive- maybe.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Matt Murdock &amp; Matt Murdock, Miles Morales &amp; Gwen Stacy, Miles Morales &amp; Jessica Jones, Miles Morales &amp; Matt Murdock</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Dragon of Hell's Kitchen [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1660564</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>204</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Gwen watched Em Jay storm out of the garage and growled, “Fuck her. If she think we’ll come crawling back to her, just because she’s one of our guitarists-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll talk to her,” Glory sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! Don’t bother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Betty shrugged, in agreement with Gwen. “She always pulls stunts like this, but she’s never gone for long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’d better wrap it up for today anyway. She’ll be back for next practice,” Gwen said with a groan. She wanted to patrol that night, see what Murderdock was up to ever since he argued his way out of jail. How he managed it was beyond her, but he’d been pretty quiet in the month or so since he’d been arrested and quickly released. The asshole probably bribed a bunch of policemen or something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Glory said, giving up. “I’ll wait to talk to her. But only a day or so. We’ve got a gig coming up. And Gwen, take it down a notch. You’re kind of on edge today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not!” Gwen scowled. Internally, she vowed to ask Peter B what the hell he saw in MJ. If she was anything like Em Jay, she was a self-absorbed bitch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay, maybe she was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little</span>
  </em>
  <span> on edge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Murderdock was being weird! Why wasn’t he doing anything suspicious? It must just be that she hadn’t caught him at it yet. After the other two girls left the garage, Gwen trudged upstairs to change into her suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hate his stupid smug face, and his dumb carrot hair, and his stabby sword. Next time I see him I’m going to use that sword to stab the smugness out of him,” she grumbled as she tied the ribbons on her shoes. She finally pulled on the mask and hopped out her window, still muttering threats under her breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wish he would be more obvious about what he’s planning. Wait.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What if she found someone who could tell her what the guy’s planning?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She found an empty rooftop and fiddled with her ’verse watch. “Earth-1066, here I come,” Gwen muttered, before leaping through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She landed in a messy dorm room, shook off the momentary disorientation without much of a problem, and grinned at the surprised Miles in front of her. “Hey!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been a month, I figured you guys weren’t coming back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, it’s just been busy,” she said casually. “Kingpins to fight, all that jazz. Hey, you have Daredevil’s number?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah? Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need his help with Murdock. He’s planning something and I need Daredevil in order to figure out what.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles shrugged and dug his phone out from under a pile of textbooks. “Hey, Matt?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He listened for a second, and continued, “Yeah, definitely. So, uh, Gwen’s here. Says she needs your help with you-know who.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alrighty, cool, I’ll see you later. We’ll be hanging out in my dorm. Finish up helping Foggy with that case and come on by.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles hung up and smiled at Gwen. “Matt said he’ll be here in thirty minutes, but it’s going to be at least double that, I guarantee it. He can’t tear himself away from work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen groaned. “Great. I hope my Murdock doesn’t have his work ethic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, uh. Do you have any allies in your verse?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- well. No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to fix that,” Miles said decisively. “Give Matt a couple hours to figure out the Murderdock bullshit. While he does that, we’re going to visit your verse’s equivalent of every single vigilante I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The younger you already suggested that. It’s not going to work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bullshit. He barely knows anybody! I bet Jessica Jones is pretty awesome in every verse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never heard of her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just because you haven’t heard of her doesn’t mean she’s not awesome! Okay, how about Danny Rand? The Iron Fist?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope, and nope.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, they’re the same person. Uh, Luke Cage?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nuh-uh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about Claire Temple. Shit, who do you go to when you get hurt?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope. I just stitch myself up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles looked worried, and Gwen gave him a half smile. “Still alive, aren’t I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, we’re going to get you some allies. And, you know you can call us whenever you need, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Miles. Um, you do know that Spider-Woman is a wanted fugitive, right? I don’t think many people are going to want to ally with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll just have to befriend them then!” he said cheerfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Gwen could dispute his methods, her Spider-Sense went off, and she dragged Miles up onto the ceiling with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opened and Miles’ roommate sauntered in, collapsing into his desk chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles squirmed out of her grip and dropped lightly onto the floor. “Hey, Ganke! What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just was talking to Mrs. Delores about the homework. You?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gwen’s here!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The roommate glanced up immediately. “It’s good to meet you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen frowned. “You told him?” She slipped down the wall and crossed her arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, course I did,” Miles said with a shrug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We live in the same room,” Ganke pointed out practically. “It’s kinda hard to hide sneaking out every other night. Wanna play some Smash Bros before you go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck is a smash bro?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles and Ganke stared at her with twin looks of horror. “You don’t know what Smash Bros is?” the former asked desperately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, multiverse, remember? My verse might just not have it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boys clutched at each other, and Ganke whispered, “That’s even </span>
  <em>
    <span>worse</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It might have a different name!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They relaxed a little, and Ganke pulled out a console she recognized. “Oh, it’s a Nintendo Swap game!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Swap?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrugged. Ganke turned to Miles and said pleadingly, “Tell me she’s just messing with us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, man, the multiverse is weird,” Miles admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, what is it here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles dug around on his desk and pulled out an extra controller, and said, “It’s a Nintendo Switch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wrinkled her nose and accepted the controller. A brief inspection, and she decided it was the same as one in her dimension.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Switch is weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re</span>
  </em>
  <span> weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ganke held up the Swap triumphantly and declared, “I have it pulled up! Let’s do this!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen blinked in surprise. “That’s Smash Bros?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Do you have a version with the wrong name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never seen it before in my life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles explained the basic controls, with Ganke chiming in at certain points. They played for a while, until Matt showed up in the Daredevil suit carrying a duffle bag. He slid in through the window and Miles snorted. “Told you he’d be late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said a half an hour! It’s only been forty five minutes!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, man, you don’t see what’s wrong with that statement?” Ganke said snarkily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt didn’t bother to reply, and turned to Gwen. “Let’s get this show on the road.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The trio hopped through the portal, and Gwen rolled her eyes at Miles’ grin. “I doubt you’re going to find anyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will! You’ll see. We’ll find some allies for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She raised her eyebrows, but to be fair, what’s the worst that could happen? Maybe he was right.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not right. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Listen, this is all a big mistake,” Miles said calmly with his hands in the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen was doing the same thing, staring at the woman in front of her. Jessica Jones was a cop, apparently. Same apartment, but a wildly different response to finding two masked vigilantes on her doorstep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then explain, assholes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles exchanged a glance with Gwen, and sighed. “Listen. I’m from another dimension, where you’re a vigilante and we’re friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A vigilante?” Jones scoffed. “Alternate dimensions? Are you high?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can prove it!” Miles insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, right. On the ground! You’re both under arrest for vigilante justice. You have the right to remain silent. Anything-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s telling the truth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles grumbled in frustration and ripped the gun out of Jones’ hands. “We don’t have the time for this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She punched him directly in the face, and he seemed surprised. Gwen moved forward to back him up, but he motioned for her to stop. “That wasn’t strong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” she said, her voice sharp with annoyance. “I could take you in a fight if you weren’t enhanced.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you’re normal,” he persisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen elbowed him, but he kept going. “In my universe, you have super-strength. You’re really badass. But, shit.” A horrified look was dawning on him. “Wait, if you’re not enhanced, then what else has changed? Um, were you orphaned in a car accident?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowned. “No? I grew up normal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles shook his head. “We should go. This was a mistake. Sorry to bother you, ma’am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Gwen turned back around, Jessica Jones seemed surprised at herself for calling out. “Can you prove it? Your story, I mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles nodded and opened a portal. “After you, Jess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowned and shook her head. “You first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. Sorry.” Miles hopped through the portal, and after a few seconds, Jones sighed and followed him. Gwen was the last through, and they wound up on a roof in Hell’s Kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is Jessica’s building!” Miles said happily. “Come on, we’ll go in through the window.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t climb walls like you two,” Jones pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fire escapes?” Gwen said pointedly. “It’s not like New York is designed for spider use only.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t deign to reply, and Miles led them down the fire escape and into the dingy office space. “Hey! Jess! I brought you a surprise!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen raised her eyebrows at the Jessica Jones that strode into the room, sighed, and said, “I specifically told you not to bring me into this multiverse bullshit when you mentioned it at game night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was a lot scruffier and more tired looking than Gwen’s Jones, who took a step backward. “You look like shit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t. Kid, who the hell did you bring into my office?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s a cop. Wasn’t in the accident, didn’t get powers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jessica raised her eyebrows. “No Kilgrave, then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so,” he said softly. “But I don’t know if he existed in the first place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jessica turned to Jones. “So, you never met Trish?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, who’s Trish?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trish Walker. Patsy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The child star? Nah, Patsy Walker died ages ago. Uh, drug overdose, I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen didn’t know who Trish was to this version of Jessica Jones, but clearly she was important, because the woman’s face hardened, and Miles seemed upset. “I’m sorry,” she said hesitantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jessica waved her off, and Jones stepped forward. “So, you’ve got super strength. And you’re a vigilante.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Got a whole team. This one’s the newest,” she said, pointing at Miles. “Kid, you can take your mask off, she’s from an alternate dimension.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but then it would be weird for Spider-Woman to keep hers on if she’s the only one!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then both of you take the masks off,” Jones said dryly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gwen!” Miles said. “Leave her alone! She’s just doing her job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You still haven’t given me any proof that you didn’t kill that Parker kid in cold blood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen winced at the unintentional pun and hesitantly dove into an explanation. “He experimented on himself. Turned himself into the Lizard. He wanted revenge on the people that bullied him, so, um. He crashed the school prom. I fought him so he wouldn’t get anybody killed, but he- the lizard serum wore off and the injuries that didn’t matter in lizard form killed him in human form. I didn’t want him to die, you have to believe me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jones stared at her, calculating. “There were details that the forensics team couldn’t explain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stayed quiet, and didn’t dare look at Miles or the other Jessica.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think- well. I believe you,” Jones finally said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha! I told you that you could find some allies!” Miels said smugly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jones seemed confused, and when she got confused, she got sharp and angry. “What? Was this some fucked up test?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, ma’am! Just, all the friends I have in this universe are evil in hers,” Miles explained. “Like, obviously, I’m Spider-Man. But her Peter Parker is dead, and mine is a second Spider-Man. And in this universe, Matt Murdock is one of my best friends, he’s a great guy, but in your universe, he’s an evil kingpin. Stuff like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen shrugged at Miles. “Sure, she’s not evil, but she’s also not that helpful. Your Jessica Jones is a cool vigilante slash PI. Mine’s a cop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles perked up. “Hey, you think my dad is a cop? Officer Jones, have you heard of a Jefferson Davis?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen flinched. “I already checked up on all of that for the other version of you. Your dad’s a criminal assassin. Calls himself the Scorpion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Miles’ jaw dropped. “No way. Wait, does this mean I don’t exist in your universe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” Gwen said casually. “Our verse sucks, remember? No Miles, no Peter, no good Murdock. No vigilante Jessica Jones. No Smash Bros.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jessica snorted. “Seriously, kid, you showed her a video game before you asked if you exist?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! You love that game, don’t even try to lie. You laugh every time someone falls off the screen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles turned on Jones. “Hey, wait, you live in Hell’s Kitchen. Is Brett Mahoney a cop in your verse?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, I think so? A uniformed officer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Weird! He’s a detective here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head. “He’s definitely not a detective in my precinct. I’m a detective, I’d know if he were.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So did you guys just come to invade my office and chat, or did you need something?” Jessica sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, just needed you for proof that we’re in another dimension.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then get the cop out of here. You know the rules.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles sighed and recited, “No cops allowed in personal spaces without prior permission.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly. Get back to Spider-Woman’s universe,” she said. If Gwen was hearing her right, she almost sounded fond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll tell you how it goes at the next game night!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles opened up a new portal and hopped through back to Jones’ apartment, with the other two right behind him. “We should go visit Danny next,” he said. “There’s no way that monk is evil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually,” Gwen said tiredly, “I think I’m good for today. A friend was being a bitch earlier, so I’m kinda worn out. Come on, we’ll swing over to Matt and see if he has anything on what Murdock’s up to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re just going to leave me here?” Jones said sharply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen winced. Shit. She forgot about the cop. “Yeah? I mean, you’re home now, right? And you know I’m not a killer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen,” Jones said, crossing her arms. “That Jessica has this- Trish, or whatever, and all these other vigilantes you’ve mentioned. I don’t have that shit. My parents and brother don’t live in New York anymore. I want in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen saw Miles grin and say, “Yes! That’s the spirit,” but she wasn’t so sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a lot of superpowered shit you’ll have to deal with. You positive on this?” she warned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jones didn’t back down. “Lead the way.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>shit this wasn't supposed to happen. I sat down to write a five page essay about Macbeth and wound up with this plus some of the next chapter. oops. this isn't macbeth.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. In Which Matt Murdock is So Done With Vigilantes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Murdock and Murderdock have a little chat, and Matt thinks about his time being trained by the Hand.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I just realized i never actually explained my jessica jones logic! she hasn’t appeared in gwen’s comics, so I had the freedom to make up whatever I wanted! I figured that in Gwen's verse, because Tony Stark didn't create Iron Man, there's a lot less genetic experimentation going around, right? so what if Jessica never got her super strength? then I remembered i'm going with TV canon for the most part, and Jessica would have died without her superstrength, but I was already excited for the idea so I decided she just never got in the car accident. No accident, no hospital, no IGH, no power, etc.</p><p>Anyway this chapter was a huge fucking downer to write (i assume probably to read as well, but i make a policy of not rereading my stuff bc if i do i'll hate it forever haha). this is EASILY the angstiest thing i've written for this series and it's because earth 65 Matt has such a bummer backstory. poor dude.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Matthew Michael Murdock was a child, his mother always told him to watch other people, that it was how she learned acting. They reveal everything in their eyes, she told him. Pain, joy, secrets. You can know everything about them if you pay attention, she told him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This advice proved unhelpful when the truck hit them, and he was left blind and Maggie was left in a coma. Without her income as an actress, Jack had to work his way up through the boxing ranks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He always told Matt the way to make a difference in the world was through his mind, not his fists. You don’t need to see to learn, he consoled Matt. Then he ruffled his hair and left to come back bloody and bruised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This advice proved unhelpful when the crime boss’ thugs attacked the pair. Matt wanted to fight back, wanted to defend himself, but he didn’t know how. Jack died, and Matt was left with a cranky old vigilante that saved people because it was right, not because he cared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stick always told Matt to control himself. That if he learned to control himself and his senses, he could control his enemies. He could protect people. He just had to learn discipline, Stick grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This advice proved unhelpful when the vigilante was killed by the Hand. Matt went to Japan and was trained to be an assassin, but there, he had no control. He did what the Hand told him to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Hand didn’t tell Matt anything, but Matt learned. Don’t care about others. Don’t show weakness. His loyalty was to the Hand first and himself second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This stuck with him. He went back to New York and made a life for himself. He went to law school, he worked his way up through Fisk’s ranks, and eventually, he became the Kingpin. He refused to care about others. He enjoyed spreading pain. Hell’s Kitchen was his to run and ruin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the spider appeared on his radar, he was intrigued. She reminded him of Stick, in the barest surface details. She was helping people, was saving people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she was in his city, and that just wouldn’t do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned the issue over in his head for a few days, but before he could come to a conclusion, she killed a man. Peter Parker. And that action gave him an idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could recruit her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was like him, after all. Fighting for what’s right at first, but a killer. She wasn’t better than him. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He would bring her into his organization- plans were already forming in his mind about the things he could do, the crimes he could commit with a spider at his side. She would be his apprentice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sent a hitman after that pesky Captain Stacy as a show of solidarity, but she stopped him from killing the policeman. He sent the Vulture after her, but he nearly killed her. No, that wouldn’t do at all. They had more skirmishes, but the war wasn’t nearly over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had her name.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Gwendolyn Stacy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t done anything with it yet- no, that was one advantage he wanted to keep for a rainy day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt didn’t mind that she brought in someone to fight him, but he was offended that she managed to track down a clone of himself. Clone? Something else? He wasn’t sure, but it was unsettling hearing himself sound like- well, a good guy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the sound of the man’s heartbeat, though, Matt was able to get under his skin just as much as he got under Matt’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was arrested, but he got out easily. Helps to be fucking the DA and paying off key judges and cops. Matt was biding his time, waiting for an opportunity. He had a feeling Spider-Woman would bring the man back, and when she did. Well. Matt had a plan for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t have to wait long. Barely a month had passed before he heard the sound of footsteps on the roof across the street, and he muttered, “If you break my window again, I’ll kill you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The footsteps stopped. So the clone could hear as well as Matt could. “You could open it,” it said dryly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But then I’d have to find a different reason to kill you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was poking around in the neighborhood looking for what you’re up to,” it continued. “Care to explain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re here for that spider, aren’t you? Tell her to ask me herself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to talk to you, though. How the hell did you end up working for the Hand?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not working for the Hand,” Matt chuckled. “I’m</span>
  <em>
    <span> leading</span>
  </em>
  <span> it. The New York branch, anyway. I’m not one of the fingers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His clone was quiet for a moment, and Matt silently cursed the fact that the gap between buildings was enough that he couldn’t pick up on subtle body language. He was too far away to hear the clone’s heartbeat, or the minute changes in breathing or the tensing of muscles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least the clone couldn’t hear him either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a part of the Hand?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m from a different universe. Stick was a part of the Chaste- do you have the Chaste? He trained me for a couple years, but he left. I went to college, became a lawyer, started a law practice with my best friend and became a vigilante to help people where the law failed. What the hell happened to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt weighed his options. Better to make his opponent think they were on equal footing. Only share what the clone would be able to find out on his own. “Stick wasn’t with the Chaste. He was just a vigilante, and the Hand tried to kill him for defending my father and I, but he escaped and they took me. I trained with the Hand, worked my way up through the ranks. I went to college, started a law practice and was hired by Fisk as his lawyer. Then I got him in jail and took over as the new Kingpin. The Hand noticed the potential there, and named me head of the New York branch of the Hand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“New York is your territory,” the clone said, a hint of understanding in his voice. “You just show it differently.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His </span>
  <em>
    <span>territory</span>
  </em>
  <span>? What, does his double piss on street corners like a dog marking his borders? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, evil-me, do you know a Foggy Nelson? Or, well, you’d probably know him as Franklin Nelson.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s the DA.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you have anyone you care about?” The clone had the audacity to actually sound a little</span>
  <em>
    <span> concerned</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He glared across the street, even though he knew the other man wouldn’t be able to tell. It made him feel more in control. “I have everything I need.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um,” the clone said hesitantly. “That’s kind of- well. Did your Hand ever mention anything about a Black Sky?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How did he know about that?</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Stick was pulling him away from his father, dead on the ground. “He’s gone, kid. If you come with me, I’ll teach you how to fight so this doesn’t happen again.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“My mother-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“They’ve probably already killed her for the stunt he pulled. It’s me or an orphanage.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Of course he went with Stick. What other option did he have?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“He can be a Black Sky! Grab him!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Hand was pulling him away from Stick. “Kid, don’t give in! Fight them!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stick!” Matt punched and kicked, but he didn’t have enough training to take on the Hand. Just a year, one tiny year. “Stick!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Hand dragged him away, and when they knocked him out, Stick’s heartbeat was the last thing he heard ringing in his ears.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He was huddled in the corner of a stone cell, trying to meditate without much luck. The uncertainties weighed on him. He didn’t know if Stick had escaped- no, there were too many of them, they would have killed him. He knew they would have killed the vigilante, he was fighting their men in New York (here didn’t smell like New York, he didn’t know where he was but he knew he wasn’t home) but he had a gut feeling Stick was alive.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He couldn’t explain it, but he knew it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been a week-maybe- alone in the cell, with meals delivered twice a day. Matt mostly attempted to meditate and practiced his forms, keenly aware of how little he knew. Why were they keeping him here?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He heard people, from time to time. This area was mostly empty cells, but towards the edge of his hearing, he caught bits of movement, hints of a human presence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Today, someone approached him outside of the regular meal times. He leapt to his feet, ready for a fight. When the metal door clanked open, they tossed a girl, maybe a year or two younger than him, into his cell. The door closed again, and he hesitated. “Who are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t say anything, just launched herself at him in a whirl of motion. He dodged her fists and threw a punch of his own. They traded a few blows, and he managed to knock her over. Before she could get up, he threw himself on top of her and pinned her down. “Why are you trying to fight me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re being tested,” she spat. She twisted and threw him off and went to hit him again. He ducked, but she kicked him in the gut, and he stumbled backward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So just leave! Tell them you beat me and leave me alone!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really are an idiot,” she scoffed. “You’re a Black Sky, They’re not going to leave you alone. They kept you alive for a reason, didn’t they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to work for them,” Matt growled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed, and moved forward. He was out of time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leapt forward and spun around her, landing a few punches and kicks. She stumbled, disoriented, and he took the opportunity to knock her out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked to the door and banged on it. “Hey! The fight’s over! Let me out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The person waiting outside opened the door, and Matt grinned viciously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man closed and locked the door, and his voice was emotionless. “Follow me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt hesitated, but at the back of his mind, Stick reminded him to wait for the perfect moment to strike. Don’t rush in without finding out the situation. He sighed, and followed the man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He led Matt down the winding halls, and Matt memorized the layout that he could hear as they walked. The Hand base was sprawling, and Matt had a sinking feeling that he wasn’t in a city. His plan had been to escape and find someone who could get him back to New York, but that wouldn’t work as well without anyone around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finally entered a big, echoing room, and the Hand soldier nodded at the man waiting. “She lost.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shame. I had hoped Colleen would be able to win against a half trained vigilante,” he said dismissively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt scowled. “Who are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man sounded distinctly unimpressed. “I’m Murakami.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit, an actual answer. “Where am I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stayed stony, but answered. “Japan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt winced (he’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so far</span>
  </em>
  <span> from his home), and immediately remembered Stick’s instructions on interrogations. Only give them information on purpose- keep your emotions in control. Turn the questioning on them. “Why do you need me alive?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nobu, take him to a room,” Murakami said to the man. “The soldiers who brought him here were correct in their suspicions. He will begin training tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to do anything for you,” Matt spat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Murakami calmly turned his back on Matt. “You’ll see the truth eventually.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt hissed and ran at the man before he thought it through. He didn’t even get close to hitting him- Murakami was too fast. He threw Matt to the ground easily, and loomed over him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have potential. Control your emotions, boy, and you will survive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt glared at him and scrambled to his feet. Bastard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room the ninja- Nobu- took him to was cold and hard, not much better than his cell, but at least there wasn’t a door they could lock, just a curtain. The walls were thinner, too, and Matt heard the heartbeats of other people. He focused, and guessed there were probably about four dozen in this wing, all between eight and seventeen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This wasn’t good at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laid on the mat they left on the floor and sighed. He was a light sleeper, Stick trained him to be, so he was pretty sure he would wake up if anyone came to his door, but sleep still took a long time to come.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The days passed in a blur of pain and confusion. He trained, learned how to fight like the Hand. When he won a fight, he got to learn more advanced techniques. When he lost, he was beaten. He tried to escape half a dozen times and failed half a dozen times. After every attempt, he hurt for weeks, and after every attempt, he asked fewer and fewer questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A year and a half into his time with the hand, Nobu interrupted a lesson. “Matthew. Murakami wanted to see you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt nodded and followed him down the twisting hallways toward the room where he first met the leader of this faction of the Hand. When they were within Matt’s range, he automatically assessed the situation. He never let his guard down in the Hand compound. A dozen soldiers surrounded a man on his knees, and Murakami stood in his usual place in the middle of the cavernous room. Matt refocused on the kneeling man, and his heart sank. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Stick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a deep breath and gauged the situation. He might be able to take on three or four of the soldiers, but he didn’t know what condition Stick was in, and Murakami wasn’t one of the leaders of the Hand for no reason.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay, wait until he’s inside. Maybe Stick had a plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He followed Nobu into the room and kept his face carefully expressionless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Murakami was the first one to speak. “This man has your loyalty, does he not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt felt fury building. “What are you going to do to him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Murakami gestured and the ninjas stepped aside. “It’s what you’re going to do to him. Kill him, or you both die. And if you try anything, old man, I kill the boy,” he added as an afterthought. Nobu handed Matt a sword, and he clutched it in dawning horror. This couldn’t be happening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made up his mind and spun, the sword screeching against the air in his radar. He shuddered at how easily the sword cut into Nobu, and at the sound of the man dropping to the floor. He dashed forward, meeting the ninjas head on, and killed another one before he was in the thick of the group. He’d trained with a sword, but they had been soldiers for much longer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was distantly aware of Stick jumping to his feet and joining the fight, but he didn’t have time to worry about it in between deflecting sword strikes. The only thing keeping him in the fight was their refusal to kill him; he could dodge their attempts to incapacitate him more easily. He killed a third person before being overwhelmed. One of them knocked the sword out of his hands with a tricky move, and two more rushed in to hold him between them. He thrashed in their arms, but to no avail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the soldiers able to fully focus on Stick, he went down quickly. Murakami whistled, and Matt realized there were new footsteps in the hallway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t say I didn’t expect this,” he said casually. “So you have a new choice. Kill Stick, or I kill these civilians.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four Hand soldiers slipped into the room, each dragging a person with them. Matt froze, and the two ninjas holding him in place set him down and stepped away. Fuck. What was he supposed to do?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hesitantly picked up a sword nearby, stalling for time, and walked slowly towards Stick for lack of a better option. The soldiers had pulled him to his feet and backed away, and Matt readjusted his grip on the sword. He could hear the racing heartbeats of the four civilians, and he couldn’t help but assess them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two middle aged people, one man, one woman. Two kids. Both boys. Probably a family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If . . . If I kill Stick, you promise to let them go?” Matt said, stumbling over his words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Murakami said firmly. “Kill him, and they go free.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stick sighed, and whispered, quietly enough for only Matt to hear, “Kid, we both know what you gotta do. Just don’t let the Hand turn you into one of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt took a deep breath and stabbed his mentor. He flinched, and in that moment he despised having heightened senses, no matter how useful they were. Stick fell to the ground, and Matt backed up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was only aware of the part of him that flared with rage when Stick was threatened, the part of him that hated the Hand and longed to leave. He couldn’t understand any of the noise in the background, not when the part of him that ached for New York was shattering.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stick was gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He growled and turned on the Hand. “Now let them go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Murakami gestured, and the soldiers took the civilians out of the room. As soon as they had exited, Matt launched himself at Murakami, fully intent on killing him. The man sighed, but sounded like he’d been expecting the movement. He easily dodged Matt’s attack. He didn’t get another chance to attack the Hand leader. Murakami twisted the sword out of his hand, and knocked Matt down with two swift punches.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Black Sky. Go wash up and go back to your room. You’re excused from lessons for the day,” Murakami instructed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt jumped to his feet, half-ready to kill the man where he stood, but his mind caught up to his actions just long enough to decide it was useless. Murakami was too skilled. Matt stalked back to the wing of the compound that held the rooms and showers, ready to hurt anyone who got in his way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stick was gone, and it was Matt’s fault.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scrubbed his skin raw in the shower- he could still smell blood. He didn’t want to think about what just happened, but the smell clung to him as tightly as his thoughts. It couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes since he was in the training room, but it felt like years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He trudged to his room and laid down, the exhaustion flooding in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last thing he thought before passing out was realizing that the place in his chest where his longing for home had sat for a year and a half felt hollow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Matt woke up in the morning numb, and he reported for training like normal in the absence of any better ideas. He couldn’t kill Murakami. He couldn’t do anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He went through lessons in a haze, and only snapped out of the fog surrounding him when he sparred with another boy. When he was fighting, he felt alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He started holding back less during lessons, and about three months after his world crumbled, he accidentally killed another student during lessons. They’d been sparring with knives, and he’d gotten lost in the fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was too easy to rip the life from her lungs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He embraced it after that. Why not? The vigilante life never gave Stick any happiness, it just resulted in his death. And, really, what was so bad about the Hand? They killed people? So had he. Maybe this was where he should be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The years passed in a jumble of sharp edges, and Matt learned how to enjoy other people’s pain. He grew from an angry teen into a cold adult, and moved back to New York. It still didn’t feel right, didn’t feel like home. Being in Hell’s Kitchen again was like wearing an old jacket he’d outgrown- familiar, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He went to law school using the Hand’s connections and fit right in, a heartless law student. He scoffed at the more idealistic of his classmates and assessed the ones who wanted to be cut-throat. None of them were that hard to sabotage. A whisper here, a rumor there, and he easily framed the few students that made it onto his radar for plagiarism.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He set up a law firm in Hell’s Kitchen, easily navigating the murky political waters, and was approached by Fisk. He smirked and accepted the job offer, and it didn’t take long to undermine the Kingpin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only the strong survive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fisk was thrown in jail and Matt took over the New York organized crime. Murakami introduced him to the other fingers of the Hand, and they allowed him to lead the Hand’s presence in New York. He wove together Gao’s heroin business with his own organized crime, and did whatever they asked of him, with a little bit of his own style thrown in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except it still wasn’t enough. The violence and tricking the system and having the entire city in his power didn’t fill the hole in his heart. New York was his, but it wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was done. With New York, with the Hand, with trying to find what he used to feel for his city. So, he made his choice. He’d taken so many lives, after all. What’s one more?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then the spider swung past his window. Just a blur of motion with a heartbeat, really, but it was enough to spark his interest. He sent feelers out into his network and found out about this Spider-Woman vigilante.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vigilantes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why were there always vigilantes?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No matter. He could always crush them. But this one . . . she had powers. She was like him. He would </span>
  <em>
    <span>make</span>
  </em>
  <span> her be like him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It would be another interesting game. No vigilante was perfect. The ‘good’ guys always toed the line between them and, well. Him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt would win. He always did.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Halfway through writing this chapter I remembered Bakuto is in charge of the Hand in South America, but i really wanted colleen involved??? Plus, earth 65 matt was trained in Japan, and Colleen was born in Hokkaido, Japan, so that worked well. Anyway i needed to figure out some bullshit explanation for why Bakuto was training Colleen in Japan instead of south america and i sat here for ages contemplating and eventually went !!!! who gives a shit about Bakuto??? What if Colleen was recruited by Murakami??? I can’t believe it took me so long, since i’m not particularly attached to any of these interchangeable Hand members lol. There will be more Colleen soon!!!</p><p>Btw, on our Matt’s earth, where Stick was a part of the Chaste, he would 100% have killed Matt and let the Hand kill him instead of letting Matt kill him and become a Black Sky. Even with four civilians on the line. However, this Earth’s Stick is some rando vigilante. He doesn’t know about Black Skies or dragons or all this mystical bullshit, so he doesn’t know the consequences for Matt killing someone in his hoard. (note: not the only way to create a black sky in this au! It’s just the one they picked for matt).</p><p>Also, i wrote 90% of this chapter before I found out that in Spider Gwen vol 2 #28, they go in depth with Murderdock’s backstory that the rest of the wiki doesn’t say! I’ve only read a few of the Spider Gwen comics (the site i’ve been reading them on doesn’t have most of volume 2) so uh. Yeah guess i’m not sticking that much to comics canon haha!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. In Which Colleen Wing is So Done With Vigilantes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Matt (yes, OUR Matt, not funky Earth-65 Matt) is off to investigate. Man, he should've brought Karen or Jessica, the Investigative Girlfriends(TM).</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>yes Karen and Jessica are dating. no i'm not going to expand on that. maybe i'll put it in a fic later.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Matt waited impatiently on a reply from evil-him. “So, seriously, you ever heard of a Black Sky?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck off,” he hissed. Jeez, moving from diplomacy straight to hurling curses like a bratty high schooler. Well, two </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> play at the game, but Matt actually came for information.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m coming over. No punching, alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you come into this office, I will disembowel you, and then-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt rolled his eyes under the mask and leapt across the street. He perched on the windowsill and rapped on the glass with his knuckles. “Come on, let me in. Pretend I’m your twin, if it makes you feel better,” Matt said with amusement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Murdock hesitated, but sighed and opened the window. No telling what was going on in his head. “Why are you so interested in my life story?” he asked sharply. “It’s in the past.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt slipped inside. “We’re both lawyers. Call it researching precedents. I’m interested in what you’re likely to do in the future, and for that I need to know what you’ve done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His double chuckled darkly. “You don’t want to know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. So don’t tell me anything. But you’re still going to tell me what you’ve been up to recently.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Recently? In the month since I’ve been out of jail? Oh, nothing much. Not anything more than the normal business. I’ve been waiting to see if you ever came back. I’m not surprised little Spidey only waited a month. She’s not much good on her own, is she?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should definitely spend a couple afternoons giving her a crash course on hand-to-hand,” Matt mused. He sniffed the air and groaned internally. Shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy was definitely a dragon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kind of figured, based on the territory thing, and how he reacted to Matt’s line of questioning related to Black Skies, but it was still jarring to smell the wind and smoke and fire on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of it was faint, covered by the dripping smell of blood and darkness. He smelled like Elektra, but even Elektra was losing some of the darkness and getting her wind back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hadn’t noticed it last time he was in this dimension, hadn’t looked for it, but now it was all he could focus on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay. So he was a dragon- well, a Black Sky. Gwen would hate that but he’d help her out from time to time, no problem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The real problem was that this guy definitely was Hand. So what did that mean for New York?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, by the way, you said the Hand beat the shit out of him but he escapes. So what did happen to dear old Stick? That bastard could wriggle out of anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have to tell you anything,” Murdock spat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Matt shrugged. “I got what I came for, anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He backflipped out the window, running through the past few years in his head. He kept getting stuck on Midland Circle, though. If there weren’t any vigilantes to defend it, why wasn’t New York a pile of rubble?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, only one way to find out. One way that was interesting, anyway. He could double back and interrogate Murdock some more, or he could head to the seediest alleys and start shaking down criminals for information, but those would both be boring. Time to go straight to the belly of the beast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Midland Circle itself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He parkored over the rooftops, enjoying the breeze on his face despite the unsettling feeling of the alternate universe, and was at Midland Circle soon enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He dropped down to street level, but to his surprise, it was much different than the Midland Circle he remembered. This was the shell of an office building, but inside a ring of offices that kept up appearances, there was nothing. Just the pit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He slipped inside, unease settling in his stomach, and froze. Colleen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was she Hand in this universe or not? She mentioned she used to be, but-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head and chided himself. Why the hell would she be here if not for the Hand?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt slipped forward and grinned. One game night, he, Danny, and Colleen decided to train the other Defenders in, as Jessica put it, their “ninja bullshit”. It went astoundingly badly, and would have resulted in substantial property damage if they hadn’t thought to take it to a quiet park instead of staying inside. Still, what Matt took away from it was that he could beat Danny or Colleen one-on-one, most of the time. They’d agreed: no dragon magic, no Iron Fist. A level playing field.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, if Colleen was Hand?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A level playing field was overrated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was in front of her attacking before she even realized he was in the room. It didn’t take long to take her out- a few kicks and punches. Once she was laid out on the ground, he peered over the edge of the pit and whistled a couple of times, listening to the sound waves ripple off the edges.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At home, when he and Elektra checked the pit, the sides were dirt. It was just a hole in the ground. But here? The dirt was held in place with thin sheets of metal. Too slick to climb, and the corners were rounded so there would be nowhere to brace against the wall. That wouldn’t have been that weird in and of itself, but when combined with a whistled reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were </span>
  <em>
    <span>people</span>
  </em>
  <span> down there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Hand repurposed their pit as a fucking prison.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He concentrated, and could make out the hum of electric wiring and water in pipes, so they probably had light and plumbing, and on the other side of the pit was a dumbwaiter just big enough for some food to be sent down every day. By the sound of the scuffling and breathing echoing up at him, there were probably five prisoners? Maybe six? The metal lining made it hard to tell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt glanced back at Colleen with a renewed glare. Fuck the Hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shifted into a dragon and launched himself down into the pit. When he got close enough to the ground, he shifted back into a human and took stock of the situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Holy shit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Danny? Elektra?” he said in surprise. “What the fuck is going on here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Murdock?” Rand growled. Several of the others, Elektra especially, agreed, and Matt heard the shifting of muscles that meant an attack was imminent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt hurriedly held up his hands. “Wait! I’m here to get you out! I’m from a different universe where we’re friends! Me and Elektra, and me and you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danny paused, his heart racing. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re friends,” he repeated. “I’m here to get you out. You and the others.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Prove it. Maybe this is just another lie,” he spat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, uh.” Matt thought for a second. “Once during game nights, Hogarth came up in conversation. I don’t remember how. But, um, you said that you used to call her J-Money, and that when you were little, she bribed you with five dollars not to tell anyone that you heard her when she called a secretary a bitch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danny’s stance relaxed a hair, but he stayed ready for a fight. “You could have found that out from Jeri. What else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit. There was only one thing Matt could think of that only Danny would know. “When you were in the plane crash, your mother came to check on you because something hit you in the head. The roof got ripped off and she- um. You know. Then your dad told you he loved you and the plane hit the mountains, and you were found by- shit. Tashi and someone else, I can’t remember the name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re telling the truth,” Danny whispered. He sounded a little off balance, and Matt inched closer carefully. He still didn’t dare go near Elektra, who would probably kill him if he didn’t get someone else on his side first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am. Danny, how long have you been down here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um. What’s the date?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt winced. “March, um. Tenth? Yeah. March 10th, 2019.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then about two and a half years? When they used me to open the gate to the dragon bones, back in May of 2016, they knocked me out and kept me drugged up for a few months while they dug out the bones and filled the spaces in with the dirt from the pit, then dumped me and these other people down here. This universe’s version of you figured we could be useful, but we would be able to get out of a normal prison.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, Elektra?” he asked, already regretting his choice to speak to her. Her heartbeat surged with fury, and he took another step back. “Why didn’t you just, um? Fly out? You’re a dragon in this universe, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hissed and launched herself at him, ready to strangle Matt with her bare hands. Danny caught her arm. “He didn’t know,” he murmured. “He’s not from here. He’s telling the truth, I can tell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bullshit!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Matt whispered, a feeling of horror creeping over him. This wasn’t the right kind of anger. He knew she’d be mad. This was wrong, this was rage. What had his other self done to her?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was wordless, like if she spoke she would scream, and Danny stepped in diplomatically. “Um, Madame Gao used some of the magic from the Hand to lock away Elektra’s dragon, and the version of you from this dimension just watched. Didn’t help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt stumbled backward. No. That wasn’t- that shouldn’t be possible. What the fuck? Before he could say anything (what could he </span>
  <em>
    <span>say</span>
  </em>
  <span> in this situation?) Elektra spoke quietly. Brokenly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a Black Sky, should have stepped in. It’s an abomination, to lock away a dragon’s soul. They should never have taken my dragon away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to find a way for you to get it back,” Matt promised. “That wasn’t me. I wouldn’t have stood by- Elektra, this dimension’s Murdock doesn’t know anything about dragons, doesn’t know that he’s a dragon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to kill him,” she hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” Matt said firmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I won’t,” she said sharply. “I’m not a murderer, I won’t stoop to that bastard’s level.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt’s eyebrows shot upward. “Shit, this is one of those weird universe differences. Um, in my verse, you’re- a little less strict, morally speaking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sounded unimpressed. “Really? Do tell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’ve killed a lot of people,” Matt admitted. “We’ve argued about it a lot. Like, the first time I met you, back in college, you tried to make me murder the man who killed my father and then skipped town when I wouldn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed, and settled back into a tense, but slightly more casual posture. “You really aren’t him, are you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t a question, but Matt answered anyway. “No, I’m not. But I’m still so sorry for what he did to you.” She nodded slightly, and Matt turned to face the other four people, who seemed to trust Danny and Elektra’s verdicts. “Who else is here?” Matt asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Davos,” one of them said sullenly. “I guarded the pass with Danny, but they took me with them when they took him, just in case they could use me for leverage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit, what? When would they have taken both Danny and Davos? Danny talked about his friend sometimes as game night, when they all got quiet and talked hesitantly about what weights they carried, but from what Matt knew, there wouldn’t have been a time recently that the Hand could have grabbed them at the same time. Must a universe thing? Matt filed the question away, for after he learned who everyone was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so Danny, Elektra, Davos. Who else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Sam 12, technically, but everyone calls me Sammy,” one of them said softly. Jesus, she was just a kid. “Um, the guy who put me in here said it would be helpful to have leverage for Captain America. I’m one of her clones.” Okay, weird. Her? Sam? Matt wasn’t that familiar with Avengers politics, let alone alternate universe Avengers politics.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isaiah Bradley,” an old man said. “I’m Captain America leverage too. I’ve been sort of- fostering Sammy. I was there when that Murdock asshole sent his thugs after her. And Cap and I were in Project Rebirth together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There have been a half dozen others that came and went,” Danny added, “but me and Elektra and Davos have been the only permanent residents. Me and Davos have been here from the start, and Elektra joined us a couple months later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Matt said, trying to clear his questions. “You and Davos were captured together, you said? But I thought you left K’un-Lun a little ways into your time guarding the pass?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danny sounded confused. “No? I stayed, but I failed. The Hand destroyed K’un-Lun and captured Davos and I. We’re the only ones left, except for whoever managed to escape on the back of Shou-Lao. Then, of course, they brought me here to open the gate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” Matt breathed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He winced. “It’s- not been great,” he admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s get you guys out of here.” Matt shifted back into his dragon skin and knelt for everyone to get on. Danny hopped on first, with Davos close behind. Matt tilted his head and caught the tension in Elektra. “I’ll take these four up first then come back down for you. Is that okay?” he offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded, and Sammy clambered up. Isaiah climbed on behind her, and Matt jumped into the air with a slight grimace. The pit was pretty spacious, but vertical takeoffs were hard with people on his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He left them up on the surface level, and sank back into the pit to get Elektra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He found her sitting on the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s hard looking at you,” she said without preamble. “I see you as a dragon and it makes me miss being a dragon even more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Matt said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m scared that I’ll feel the wind on my face and I won’t be able to stop thinking about what it used to be like to fly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could claw my way up the sides instead. Fuck up this place so they can’t throw any more people in here to rot?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She contemplated for a few seconds, but Matt heard her heartbeat resolve into a steady beat, and her voice was firm. More like the Elektra of his world, the one that he remembered. “We’d better not. There’s not really a need, I’m sure Isaiah will call the Avengers to shut it down. Let’s fly up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt nodded and lowered himself for her to climb onto his back. He lifted himself up and made his way to the surface. He landed a short distance away from the others and shifted back as soon as Elektra had both feet on the ground. “We </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> find out how to fix it,” he told her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded and strode back towards the group. Matt followed her, and once he’d refocused on the problem of the Hand, he realized the group was surrounding the unconscious Colleen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know her in my universe,” Matt said glumly. “We’re friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danny sounded dubious. “Your verse sounds weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey. Just because we have a shit ton of superheros doesn’t make it weird. I think you guys are the weird ones, for all being evil or whatever,” Matt protested. Wait. He tilted his head, and gestured for everyone to stand back. “She’s waking up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elektra sighed and stepped forward to disarm the Hand soldier. She came away with two swords, one of which she handed to Danny, and seven knives, which she distributed between the prisoners, giving the extras to Davos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everyone stay alert,” she warned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They waited another thirty seconds or so, and although none of the others reacted, Matt caught the heartbeat shift. “She’s awake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Colleen sat bolt upright. “Who are you and why do you sound like Murdock?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt grinned and peeled off his mask. “I’m his twin brother Mike and I’m fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>pissed</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I come into town just to borrow some money and I find out that he’s a kingpin? With a secret underground prison? What the hell would Mom say, God rest her soul?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bullshit. Murdock doesn’t have a twin brother, and if he did, he certainly wouldn’t fight like a Chaste soldier,” Colleen spat. “Why the fuck do you look like him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, he never told you?” Matt sighed, “We were split up when my dad died. Stick took Matt and I went to an orphanage. When I was there, the Chaste found me and trained me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell the </span>
  <em>
    <span>truth!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right, the idea of twins is preposterous! Perhaps I was grown in a lab by the Chaste, so that I could take his place in the Hand and tear your cult apart from the inside. Maybe I’m here from another universe and decided to step in. It even could be that I’m a mutant shapeshifter, here because I was hired by the Chaste to free the Iron Fist. But none of that really matters, does it?” Matt leaned in and gave Colleen his sharpest smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guarded these people for years, with no pity. I wonder what they’ll do to </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned on his heel and let the circle close in around her. She was dead within seconds, and Matt could smell the blood on Danny’s sword.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This universe was so goddamn weird.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So . . . where do we go next?” Danny asked tiredly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The two of us are going to go find Captain America,” Isaiah said, glancing down at Sammy. They trudged out, and Matt was left alone with the others.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you guys know anyone in New York?” Matt asked. “I’d arrange a place but I’m not from here, I don’t know who’s the same and who’s different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could try going to Rand Enterprises? See if the Meachums can help?” Danny suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt winced. “I think we should check, but we should be careful. In my universe, Harold faked his death and was working for the Hand. You said that a lot of shit went down when you tried to prove you were still alive to the remaining Meachums.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so maybe not,” Danny agreed. “Davos and I just need a place to stay in New York while we take down this branch of the Hand. With K’un-Lun destroyed, we aren’t tied to protecting one place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a few places in mind, but I’m not sure about any of them. Can we meet up with Spider-Woman first? She and a friend from my universe split off earlier to see if any of our friends there could be allies here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going straight to Murdock’s place,” Elektra said calmly. “I’m going to find out where the ritual to reverse this is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt tilted his head. “Wait, I have an idea. In my universe, there’s other dragons. What if I took you all into my verse? You’d be able to have a decent meal for once and a comfortable place to sleep and regroup, and Elektra and I could talk to Heather to see what she knows about these rituals.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were silent for a few seconds, coming to an agreement, and Danny broke the silence. “Yeah, I think that’ll work for a day or so. Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt nodded and pulled out his phone. “Hold up, I gotta let the kid know I’m going back to our verse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sent the message and grinned. “You guys ready?” He opened the portal without waiting for an answer, and hopped through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt was back in his New York. His home. Damn, it felt good.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oops sorry colleen! I didn’t mean to kill her originally, but i was writing the scene and tbh i didn’t really see them being able to let her go after she kept them in prison for years. <br/>but like, damn. I don't write much bummer stuff bc like . . . slice of life (jazz hands)! But Earth-65 really wakes up that bit at the back of my brain that tells me to make em suffer.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. In Which Foggy Nelson is So Done With Vigilantes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everyone heads back to Earth-1066, but can the people there help solve Elektra's magic problem?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Where are we?” Danny asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt grinned. “We’re on the roof of my apartment. Come on, the stairs are this way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He led them to the roof access and down into his apartment, and called, “I’m back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Foggy’s heartbeat sped up when he noticed Matt’s entourage. “Bringing home alternate dimension strays now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know me, Fogs, I love a fan club,” he said brightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Peter called, by the way. Wondered where you guys were.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you told him . . .”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That you had a midlife crisis, ditched him in favor of the cooler intern and ran off to go live on Barton’s friend’s farm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt snorted appreciatively. “Bet he loved that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I think he’s at home pouting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll make it up to him. Maybe I’ll buy donuts for the office on Monday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You two are together in this universe?” Elektra said curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Partners in business and our personal lives. He’s an idiot, but we make it work. We just got engaged!” Foggy said cheerfully. “What verse are you from? I thought Matt and I were together in most of the ones we’ve talked to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt winced. “They’re Earth-65.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, shit,” he said with newfound appreciation. “I understand the home invasion now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not breaking in if the door’s unlocked,” Matt said with a smirk. They joked about this a couple times a week.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unlawful entry, Matt, it’s a crime.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, good thing I know a great defense attorney.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I warn you, I charge exorbitantly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, I’m hiring Marci.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Foggy gasped dramatically. “Et tu, Brutus?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You better believe it,” Matt said smugly. Behind him, Elektra cleared her throat pointedly, and his train of thought switched back to the matter at hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, sorry. Foggy, could you please order some food? These guys don’t have any money. I’m going to call Heather. There’s a dragon issue we need her advice on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Foggy shifted, and Matt grimaced slightly. He’d explain later. His fiancé nodded, understanding the subtle message. Matt dug out his phone and hoped that Heather was awake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luckily, she picked up on the third ring. “Matt! What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was on Earth-65, and I found a dragon. Her dimension’s Hand used a ritual and locked her dragon half away, she can’t transform or access it or anything. I figured you’d be the one to ask about a solution.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heather shuddered audibly. “Shit, of course. I’ll portal over ASAP.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hung up and trudged back over to the group. “She’ll be here soon, to help figure out how to reverse the ritual.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elektra nodded at him, and his attention was dragged away by a noise on the roof.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” he sighed, “Kid’s here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which one?” Foggy asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The tall one. I’m going to see what he wants.” Matt trudged up the stairs to the roof and slipped out the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Matt! What’s going on, why were you and Miles on Earth-65?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gwen asked me to figure out what her Murdock was up to, and I’ve been meaning to go back and check if he was a dragon anyway. He is, by the way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter sighed. “She’s not going to love that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, I got a bit more info on his history and decided to check out Midland Circle to see what happened there without vigilantes. Turns out that they made it into the Hand’s private prison,” Matt summarized. “Elektra and Danny were both there, with a few others. Elektra’s dragon got locked away with some Hand magic, so she’s here so we can talk to Heather.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” the teen breathed. “That fucking sucks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You cool with them knowing your identity?” Matt asked, nodding towards the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. They know yours?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eh. Mostly. We haven’t really been over the vigilante thing. Their verse doesn’t have Daredevil, remember?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. I mean, I can just be Peter, right? No Parker necessary? Another step removed from the alternate Gwen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s probably best,” Matt admitted. “Still, I don’t think a mask is necessary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter nodded, and they headed into Matt’s apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Within a couple of minutes, Matt felt the telltale warping of space that signaled a portal, and he told the others, “Heads up, Heather’s about to come in.” Sure enough, the roof door opened in seconds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi. I’m Heather Douglas. How much has he explained about who I am?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elektra shook her head. “Just that you’re a dragon and you might know how to reverse the ritual.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a mind dragon. May I look at how they locked away your dragon? I’d only be looking at the structure of your mind, not memories or thoughts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would help you reverse it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would help me determine what the problem is. Like a doctor using an x-ray, but a magic one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt added, “For what it’s worth, Heather’s used her telepathy to show me memories. She’s never done anything invasive, I trust her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elektra sighed and nodded. Heather narrated, “I’m going to reach out now.” Matt felt the magic reaching out and shivered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were silent, no doubt communicating telepathically, and Matt settled into his chair. Nothing to do but wait.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After what felt like years, Heather spoke. “I think . . . I might have fixed the damage they’ve done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her heartbeat spiked. “Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been in a lot of dragon’s minds. I access my power like I’m scooping up water from a bowl. Matt dips into fire. You have a bridge that you walk across. They put a locked gate in front of the bridge, and I used my magic to chip away at it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elektra took a deep breath, and Matt listened to her muscles tense, but she uncurled, slipping into her dragon skin. She stretched her wings and tail, and he sighed in relief. It worked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” she said strongly. “I can’t make this up to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heather shook her head, and told her, “No need. I’m just righting a wrong. This should never have happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still. Thank you,” Elektra said with a nod. She turned to Matt. “Can you take us back to our universe? I need to have a conversation with Murdock.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. Want some pizza before you leave?” It had arrived while Heather was working, and between Danny and Peter, let alone adding Davos, Foggy, and Matt to the mix, they didn’t have much left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, Elektra shook her head. “I can find food there. I want to get started on figuring out Murdock.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Matt started to open a portal, but a thought occurred to him and he hesitated. “I think . . . um, in your universe, I was the one who became a Black Sky. Here though, you were. It might help to talk to this universe’s Elektra, to see how she figured out how to deal with that sort of stuff. I’m not saying you have to do it now,” he said hastily, “but . . . keep it in mind. Spider-Woman’s easy to find, and she knows how to contact me. Just in case.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened up the portal and the Earth-65 folks hopped through easily. Elektra was the last to leave, and when she spoke, it sounded like she was smiling. “Thank you, Matthew.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She slipped through the rift between worlds, and Matt closed it thoughtfully. Peter left soon afterwards, and it was only another hour before Matt got a text from Miles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Miles: hey how was your trip? I just got back, Gwen and I played some video games before I left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed, and thought about that damn pit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Matt: I’ll explain on our next patrol.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miles: ok! Goodnight!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hopefully, Elektra would find Gwen and be able to make the other Murdock stop being an issue. He couldn't control the outcome, but he couldn't stop himself from wondering about it, either.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry this update took a while!!! I just was NOT vibing with this chapter, so i decided I needed a break from a sad earth-65 fic and went and worked on some wholesome slice of life stuff. Writing a bunch of idiots bantering playfully and getting engaged is chicken soup for the soul, dudes, idk what else to tell you, and i def need some soul soup rn. Anyway, i’ll probably do a oneshot later about gwen and elektra either beating up murderdock OR teaming up to make him stop being a dumbass bc they refuse to be the only sucky, daredevil-less universe. We’ll see when we get there :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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